Terry Richard/The OregonianThe trailhead parking lot will be open, but S.R. 14 just east of Dog Mountain will have regular closures until Sept. 2.

Be sure to check the highway construction schedule this spring and summer if you plan to travel the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, between the Bridge of the Gods on the west and the Hood River Bridge on the east.

Cliffs above the highway will be cleared of rocks prone to falling, so there will be on-going highway closures and travel lane restrictions, beginning this week and continuing until early September.

There are two main areas of work: near White Salmon, which will have a detour, and near Dog Mountain, where there will not be a detour.

The Dog Mountain Trail may be the second busiest in the Columbia River Gorge, next to Multnomah Falls. The Dog Mountain trailhead parking lot and trail will be open (except when blasting is scheduled), but the highway just east of the trailhead will have restrictions.

The highway will be closed from 4-6 p.m. weekdays, from March 10 through June 14, then more frequently through Sept. 2.

You should never have to wait more than two hours, or you could use either of the Columbia River toll bridges to reach Interstate 84 on the Oregon side as a way to get around the construction.

(Sorry about the inactivity on this blog last week when I was out sick.)